“A highly personal, richly informed and culturally wide-ranging meditation on the loss of meaning in our times and on pathways to rediscovering it.” —Gabor Maté, MD, author of In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction A neuroanthropologist maps out a revolutionary new practice—Hedonic Engineering—that combines the best of neuroscience and optimal psychology. It’s an intensive program of breathing, movement, and sexuality that mends trauma, heightens inspiration and tightens connections—helping us wake up, grow up, and show up for a world that needs us all. This is a book about a big idea. And the idea is this: Slowly over the past few decades, and now suddenly, all at once, we’re suffering from a collapse in Meaning. Fundamentalism and nihilism are filling that vacuum, with consequences that affect us all. In a world that needs us at our best, diseases of despair, tribalism, and disaster fatigue are leaving us at our worst. It’s vital that we regain control of the stories we’re telling because they are shaping the future we’re creating. To do that, we have to remember our deepest inspiration, heal our pain and apathy, and connect to each other like never before. If we can do that, we’ve got a shot at solving the big problems we face. And if we can’t? Well, the dustbin of history has swallowed civilizations older and fancier than ours. This book is divided into three parts. The first, Choose Your Own Apocalypse, takes a look at our current Meaning Crisis--where we are today, why it’s so hard to make sense of the world, what might be coming next, and what to do about it. It also makes a case that many of our efforts to cope, whether anxiety and denial, or tribalism and identity politics, are likely making things worse. The middle section, The Alchemist Cookbook, applies the creative firm IDEO’s design thinking to the Meaning Crisis. This is where the book gets hands on--taking a look at the strongest evolutionary drivers that can bring about inspiration, healing, and connection. From breathing, to movement, sexuality, music, and substances--these are the everyday tools to help us wake up, grow up, and show up. AKA--how to blow yourself sky high with household materials. And the best part? They’re accessible, by anyone anywhere, no middleman required. Transcendence democratized. The final third of the book, Ethical Cult Building, focuses on the tricky nature of putting these kinds of experiences into gear and into culture—because, anytime in the past when we’ve figured out combinations of peak states and deep healing, we’ve almost always ended up with problematic culty communities. Playing with fire has left a lot of people burned. This section lays out a roadmap for sparking a thousand fires around the world--each one unique and tailored to the needs and values of its participants. Think of it as an open-source toolkit for building ethical culture. In Recapture the Rapture, we’re taking radical research out of the extremes and applying it to the mainstream--to the broader social problem of healing, believing, and belonging. It’s providing answers to the questions we face: how to replace blind faith with direct experience, how to move from broken to whole, and how to cure isolation with connection. Said even more plainly, it shows us how to revitalize our bodies, boost our creativity, rekindle our relationships, and answer once and for all the questions of why we are here and what do we do now? In a world that needs the best of us from the rest of us, this is a book that shows us how to get it done.

Have you ever read the Bible only to come away confused? Learn the meaning of each of the 66 books of the Bible and how each one is a love letter to God’s people. After working with people as a psychologist for four decades, author Larry Crabb invites you to explore the Bible in a new way. He offers a fresh, relational look at Scripture through intimate discussions with God. Told through a series of "conversations" between himself and God, Larry wrestles through what God intends us to understand in each of the 66 books of the Bible. Each book tells a story that is a part of a larger one of God and how He loves His people. Perfect for a small group, bible study, or used as a daily devotional, Larry asks deeply honest questions such as: “God, what is it you wanted me to see in Obadiah?” “And what’s up with Leviticus? Is there anything there for me?” “This one verse in Galatians has always frustrated me. Why is that?” “The way you wrote Revelation makes it difficult to understand—why didn’t you just describe what will happen in a straightforward way?” Listen to the story of God unfold through these chapters, and you’ll find not only His redeeming love, but His plan and provision designed especially for you. Though life may not be going according to your plan, God has another one, far better than you can imagine. From Genesis to Revelation, experience His invitation to get you dancing with joy.

The idea of "The Rapture" -- the return of Christ to rescue and deliver Christians off the earth -- is an extremely popular interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation and a jumping-off point for the best-selling "Left Behind" series of books. This interpretation, based on a psychology of fear and destruction, guides the daily acts of thousands if not millions of people worldwide. In The Rapture Exposed, Barbara Rossing argues that this script for the world's future is nothing more than a disingenuous distortion of the Bible. The truth, Rossing argues, is that Revelation offers a vision of God's healing love for the world. The Rapture Exposed reclaims Christianity from fundamentalists' destructive reading of the biblical story and back into God's beloved community.

From the two defining personalities of post-cyberpunk SF, a brilliant collaboration to rival 1987's The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

The Rapture Delusion shatters popular myths, breaks the spell of false theories, reveals solid biblical truth, and will help prepare you for "the end of the world." Addressing His Church, Jesus Himself declared, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20 KJV). Many Christian prophecy books and end-time movies predict that all "true believers" will miss the end because they will vanish in an event called "the Rapture"-when they will supposedly be taken to Heaven early-while those left behind will be forced to endure seven nightmarish years of apocalyptic terror during the time of the Antichrist. Is this true? What does the Bible really say? About the end times Jesus Christ warned,"Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). Paul also predicted that many would be ensnared by "strong delusion" because "they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 KJV). The future is upon us-but it will be different from what the majority expect. Get ready for it.

What is the rapture? When is the second coming? Why is there so much talk about Bible prophecy, and what is it all about? There’s no better place to go for clear, specific answers than to God’s Word, which is what Bible prophecy expert Tim LaHaye does in this Quick Look guide to the last days. This book, based on decades of careful research, presents a concise picture of the end times. You’ll learn about the two most important events to take place in the future—the rapture and second coming—and along the way, discover answers to questions such as... Will Christ’s return be literal, or is it merely symbolic? What signs of the last days can we expect to see in the days ahead? How can you be ready for these events?

A “wonderfully accessible” interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings on breathwork in meditation, from a leading insight meditation teacher (Joseph Goldstein, author of The Experience of Insight) Freedom from suffering is not only possible, but the means for achieving it are immediately within our grasp—literally as close to us as our own breath. This is the 2,500-year-old good news contained in the Anapanasati Sutra, the Buddha's own teaching on cultivating both tranquility and deep insight through the full awareness of breathing. In this book, Larry Rosenberg brings this timeless meditation method to modern practitioners, using the insights gained from his many years of practice and teaching. With wisdom, compassion, and humor, he shows how the practice of breath awareness is quietly, profoundly transformative—and supremely practical: if you're breathing, you've already got everything you need to start.

This re-edition of the classic examines four views of the church's role in the tribulation: partial rapturism, pre-tribulationism, mid-tribulationism, and post-tribulationism, with special emphasis on the debate between pre-tribulationism and post-tribulationism. Bibliography and index are included.

'Mission is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate.' John Piper's contemporary classic draws on key biblical texts to demonstrate that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missionary outreach. Piper offers a biblical defence of God's supremacy in all things, providing a sound theological foundation for missions. He examines whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and issues a passionate plea for God-centredness in the missionary enterprise, seeking to define the scope of the task and the means for reaching 'all nations'. Let the Nations Be Glad! is a trusted resource for missionaries, pastors, church leaders, youth workers, seminary students, and all who want to connect their labours to God's global purposes. This third edition has been revised and expanded throughout and includes new material on the 'prosperity gospel'.

The end-times error that leaves the Bible behind! Author David Currie grew up convinced that one day all true Christians will suddenly be snatched up to heaven. The unfortunate souls left behind by this "rapture" will endure seven horrible years of tribulation, at the end of which Christ will return to earth for a glorious thousand-year reign. Today, millions of Christians accept this end-times theology, assuming - as Currie did -- that the Bible clearly teaches it. Many plan their whole lives around it. But, after studying Scripture for decades, Currie has come to see that if you accept the Bible, you have to reject the rapture. In these remarkable pages - which constitute the world's most careful and thorough scriptural study of the rapture - Currie demonstrates why. He considers all the relevant verses (and there are hundreds!) and examines them in the light of ancient history, the writings of the earliest Christians, and the claims of rapturist theologians. With painstaking thoroughness, he unlocks the meanings of the key biblical prophecies that culminate in Christ's Messianic Kingdom - including those verses in Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation that rapturists turn to most. Marshalling evidence that's as startling as it is compelling, Currie argues that these prophecies of war and tribulation don't point to some still-unrealized apocalyptic future. Rather, most of them were fulfilled long ago: the spiritual, priestly Kingdom prefigured in the Old Testament was inaugurated on Calvary, consummated in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Temple, and continues to exist today . . . in the Catholic Church! That may surprise you. Yet, shows Currie, it's the only conclusion that fits all the scriptural and historical evidence. Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind makes Scripture, prophecy, and history come alive; and it demonstrates that if you open your Bible, you'll find that God's plan for the future of the world is not filled with darkness and disaster, but with light, mercy, and hope. "We can all learn much from David Currie, not only from what he says, which is wise, but from how he says it, which is Catholic and Christian." From the Foreword by Scott Hahn. Special features: Over 1,300 references to Scripture, the early Church Fathers, authors and events in ancient history, and contemporary rapturist theologians Ten detailed timelines relating biblical prophecy to key historical events The biblical case for the rapture (showing why so many accept it) A survey of the thoughts of the early Church Fathers about the end-times A history of the development of rapturist theories, showing how this heresy has been refuted time and again by the Church A short course in the proper methods of reading Scripture A survey of end-times hypotheses from the first century through 9/11/2001 Nine ground rules you must follow if you are to make sense of biblical prophecy and relate it to salvation history A 10-page annotated bibliography of rapturist sources ancient and new Plus, much more to help you understand and evaluate the claims of rapturists Among the sources cited: Julius Africanus • St. Athanasius • St. Augustine • Pope Benedict XV • Andreas of Cappadocia • St. Clement of Alexandria • G. K. Chesterton • St. John Chrysostom • St. Clement of Rome • St. Cyril of Jerusalem • St. Epiphanius of Salamis • Josémaria Escriva • Catechism of the Catholic Church • Dei Verbum • Enchiridion Symbolorum • Eusebius • St. Hippolytus of Rome • St. Ignatius of Antioch • St. Irenaeus • St. Jerome • Flavius Josephus • St. Justin Martyr • Tim LaHaye • Pope Leo XIII • C. S. Lewis • Hal Lindsey • Lumen Gentium • Origen • Blaise Pascal • Pope St. Pius X • Pope Pius XII • Bertrand Russell • St. Polycarp • St. Thomas Aquinas • St. Sulpicius Severus • Tacitus • Tertullian • Victorinus